Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Killian pulls back, freeing his face from my hands. “You were well within your rights, Chiara.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“It’s not important,” he says. “I’m sure you have many questions about what you saw, and we can talk about that when you decide you’re ready, but for now, I need to know what happened in that bathroom with Monica.”
“Monica?” I question. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“That hitman wasn’t here for me, Chiara.”
My brows furrow. “You think Monica hired him for . . . what? For me?”
“Yes. Now tell me what happened in the bathroom. Did she say anything to you before she attacked you?”
I shrug my shoulders, trying to remember everything that went down, despite having spent the past week doing everything in my power to try and forget. “She ummm—” I pause, letting out a heavy breath filled with reluctance. “I really don’t want to make matters worse.”
“You had a hitman shoot at you. How much worse do you think it’s going to get?”
There’s no denying it, the asshole has a good point, and I finally give in, telling him what he needs to know. “Okay, I’m paraphrasing here, but basically, she was saying that I was one more obstacle in the way of her and Sergiu taking over if you were to . . . you know, end up six feet under.”
His face scrunches as if not following where I’m going with this. “If you were to knock me up, your child would inherit your . . . throne, or whatever you call it. But if I was out of the way with no chance of having your child, they would be one step closer to the top.”
Killian’s brows furrow. “That’s what this is really about?” he questions, letting out a heavy sigh. “She’s going to all this effort to try and take you out for the hope of one day getting to call the shots.”
“Yep.”
“Fuck, that woman has always been such a petty bitch.”
My brow arches, a little shocked at the words that just came tumbling out of his mouth. I’ve heard the filthiest things a man could ever say from him behind locked doors, and I’ve seen the brutal evidence of what he’s capable of in the name of protecting his family, but I’ve never quite heard him like that.
When speaking of his family, Killian always does so with high regard and respect, but now that Monica has shown her cards and her loyalty has been questioned, there’s not even a scrap of respect left for her.
I can’t lie, now that Monica has taken this bullshit so much further than a scrappy fight in a too-small bathroom, the idea of justice is suddenly a little more thrilling.
25
CHIARA
Darkness surrounds me as I stare up at my bedroom ceiling, finding it impossible to sleep. Today was a mess, and as a result, there’s still fire pulsing through my veins.
A hitman was hired to take me out.
Like what the actual fuck? I’m just me. A nobody. I shouldn’t be important enough to anyone to warrant the need for a hitman. All I want from life right now is to live it up in my new husband’s mcmansion and let him fuck me every way his incredible mind can possibly come up with. And yet, I’m being assaulted in bathrooms and shot at through the kitchen window. Not to mention Sergiu’s belief that he’s welcome into my room any damn time he likes.
How has this become my life?
I toss and turn, not able to silence the havoc inside my mind, but along with the havoc comes the memories of Killian’s determination to protect me, and honestly, I’ve never been so turned on in my life. I shouldn’t want him the way that I do. I shouldn’t crave his touch, but the mere idea that he ran out into those bushes and risked his life just to save mine is something I can’t ignore.
For the twentieth time tonight, I consider throwing myself out of my bed and going in search of the man in question and demanding that he fuck me until I can’t possibly scream any longer. Yet, despite knowing that he would give me exactly what I need, something is keeping me from getting out of my bed.
Physically, Killian and I are the best match this planet has ever seen. Our bodies work together so damn well it’s intoxicating and has quickly become my fiercest addiction. But emotionally, we still have a long way to go. Today has proven that I can trust him with my life, that if I were in danger, he’s the one person I can rely on, but what about everything else? Can I trust him not to destroy me? Not to break my heart? Not to lie to me? That, I don’t know.
Frustration claims me, and I let out a long groan as I clench my thighs, desperately trying to relieve the ache, but it’s impossible. There’s only one person who could possibly give me what I need. On second thought, there is a fully stocked drawer of toys right here by my bed, and it’s not as though he put them there as a space filler. They were intended to be used, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to offend him by simply ignoring the marvelous gift he’s offered.